Turkish Red Pepper Bread with a load of onions, red bell peppers and sesame seeds is super easy to make. It is vegetarian and has the most unique flavor combination.
Turkish cuisine includes several breads like lavash bread, pide bread and bazlama recipe. Among all these, this pepper bread is probably the least known yet the most unique one with its topping.
If you after a rustic type of bread, go check out our hot water corn bread too!
This red pepper bread recipe is from my childhood. This is not well known around the country, it is baked generally in the Southern part of Turkey. And I haven’t met a better cook than mom baking this super tasty snack. I remember that we would always have some on the counter and we had a few slices whenever we felt hungry.
None of my friends here knows this tasty sheet pan bread and when I make it, I always hear the “Nom nom nom"s. They say that the ingredients are so simple and ordinary, but the taste of it is certainly extraordinary. Most of my friends think that it’s very similar to pizza, but I think it’s more than that thanks to its unique topping.
Why We Love This Bread
- It is soft and has the most unique flavor thanks to the topping.
- It is still tasty on the next day. We enjoy it either at room temperature of reheated.
- It is easy to reheat in a pan with a lid or in the oven.
- It makes a perfect savory snack after work/school just like our pogaca stuffed wih cheese.
Ingredients
This is a sheet pan bread topped with a mixture of the following:
- 3 red bell peppers, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2 medium onions, diced
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
It is made with a type of yeast dough and we need the following:
- 2 and ½ cups flour
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 and ½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ cup Greek style yogurt
- ½ cup warm water
How To Make
- First make the dough: Sift the flour in a large bowl. Add in instant yeast and salt. Whisk well. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt and warm water. Pour this mixture in the flour mixture. Combine them well. Knead it well until everything holds together. It will be a pretty soft and sticky dough. Wet your fingers and pat the top of the dough. Cover it with a kitchen towel. Put it in a warm place and wait at least one hour so that it rises well.
- Meanwhile you can prepare the topping mixture you’ll spread on the dough. Combine all peppers and onions in a bowl. Add in sesame seeds, olive oil, pepper paste and salt. Stir well.
- After the dough rises enough (after at least one hour), preheat the oven to 350F. Oil a baking sheet and transfer the dough on it. Now it’s time for your hands to work more. Flatten the dough in the baking pan equally, pressing on it with you palm. Spread the topping mixture on the dough with your hands.
- Before putting it into the oven, cut it in squares so that it is easier to remove from the pan after it’s baked.
- Place it into the oven and bake it for 30-40 minutes.
- You can serve it at any time of day as a snack or in the morning as breakfast.
More Turkish Breads
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Print📖 Recipe
Turkish Red Pepper Bread
Red Pepper Bread Recipe with a load of onions, red peppers and sesame seeds is super easy to make. It is vegetarian and tastes so good!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Topping:
- 3 red bell peppers, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2 medium onions, diced
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Dough:
- 2 and ½ cups flour
- ¾ cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 and ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup warm water
Instructions
- First make the dough: Sift the flour in a large bowl. Add in instant yeast and salt. Whisk well. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt and warm water. Pour this mixture in the flour mixture. Combine them well. Knead it well until everything holds together. It will be a pretty soft and sticky dough. Wet your fingers and pat the top of the dough. Cover it with a kitchen towel. Put it in a warm place and wait at least one hour so that it rises well.
- Meanwhile you can prepare the topping mixture you’ll spread on the dough. Combine all peppers and onions in a bowl. Add in sesame seeds, olive oil, pepper paste and salt. Stir well.
- After the dough rises enough (after at least one hour), preheat the oven to 350F. Oil a baking sheet and transfer the dough on it. Now it’s time for your hands to work more. Flatten the dough in the baking pan equally, pressing on it with you palm. Spread the topping mixture on the dough with your hands.
- Before putting it into the oven, cut it in squares so that it is easier to remove from the pan after it’s baked.
- Place it into the oven and bake it for 30-40 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 157
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 372.4 mg
- Fat: 6.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Cholesterol: 1.7 mg
Christine Giamporcaro says
What temp should the oven be??
Yusuf says
The oven temperature should be 180C/350F.
Sriram says
Great recipe .......after watching Kara Para good to copy this!!!!!!
Paulette Esselman says
This does not say how to prepare the peppers. Chop? Mince? Slice?
Yusuf says
Chop them finely.
Lizeth Boas says
Do you have any idea of several nice recipes for pizza dough without yeast?
Zerrin says
Josh - 1 tsp salt is enough for this dough. The yogurt I use is thick enough, so 2 cups flour is fine. But if the yogurt is too juicy, we should add extra flour(little by little) until it doesn't stick your hand. Thank you so much for these questions. I hope it's clear enough.
Josh says
Few questions about the recipe: How much salt should I be mixing in with the yeast? Also, if adding the yogurt, should more than 2 cups of flour be used to compensate? Or does the kneading step imply adding enough flour to make the dough not stick? Using the listed proportions, I don't think there is any way for the dough not to stick to your hands, or am I doing something very wrong?
Zerrin says
Monika - I'm sure it can be done with fresh yeast, but I've never used it. I find using yeast powder easier.
Monika says
Can you make this dough with fresh yeast, and if so, how much should I use? Here in Poland yeast powder is available, but fresh is more popular.
Zerrin says
Maggie - pepper paste is like tomato paste, either from chili or sweet red bell peppers. Peppers are cleaned from their seeds, then they are mashed and mixed with salt and dried under sun for at least a week. In Turkey, they are done in large amounts in Summer and people sell it to others who don't have a chance of doing it. If you have enough sun light there, you can do. If you can't, this red pepper loaf can be made without paste as well. Just add a few more red bell peppers into its filling.
Maggie says
What is pepper paste? Is it made from chili peppers or sweet peppers? If I can't find it to buy, can I make it easily myself?
rowena says
Ok, I'll have to try this recipe too! I love the use of sesame seeds for the topping and yogurt for the dough. Wonderful post Zerrin!
Sophie says
Zerrin, this looks so tasty!! MMMM... I will make it tomorrow!! Thanks!!
mely says
I love to come visit your blog. Everytime you have some interesting recipe.
lisaiscooking says
Looks fantastic! I like the sesame seeds with the red pepper, and the dough sounds great.
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie says
This pastry with peppers sounds absolutely delicious! Wonderful recipe!